Not Quite Vanilla
by BlazinBumbleBee
Summary: Just your typical story about a lucky fellow from our world surviving in One Piece with the Neko Neko no Mi... Or is it? The newly-dubbed Neko decided to give the StrawHat Pirates a taste of what it's like befriending a very "vanilla" fruit user; served fresh with a slice of life! Maybe we'll get to know the not-quite-vanilla troublemaker along the way to achieving his dream...
1. The Companion

**Author's Note:**

I came up with this on an early Saturday morning while procrastinating looking at my work phone. I'm still working on new chapters for Dark Angel and Ethereal Embers/Ashes, I promise! I just keep trying to rewrite them because... Well, they're not quite turning out the right way if you know what I mean. So... Shall we see where this runaway goes?

 **Disclaimer:**

I do not own One Piece or any of its related content, I own only my Original Character and a few funky plot twists.

* * *

 **Day 3 - Night**

"You again?"

Zoro grumbled, lifting his head from its rest on the uncomfortable wooden pole, scowling harshly at the oversized black cat with the strange white patches; the same one that had saved him a nasty bite from that weirdo kid's "pet" wolf.

The creature- about the size of his torso, now that he paid attention- ignored his scowl altogether, gracefully leaping over the wall and padding towards him.

Resolved to make it get to safety, Zoro glared into the all-too-intelligent amber-yellow eyes that reflected the moonlight.

"Get out of here before that asshole comes back, he'll beat you to death."

The swordsman growled, kicking at the cat in an attempt to deter it.

Instead, if it was at all possible, the human-like eyes seemed to express exasperation.

Disregarding his efforts as a whole, the stupid cat instead patiently seated itself just out of range from his flailing, staring him down the entire time.

Sagging in place with a dark glower, the pirate hunter let out a low growl as he tugged at his arms in an attempt to relieve the painfully tight binding.

His attempts at loosening the ropes were interrupted when a large furry shape leapt deftly onto the post responsible for holding his left arm.

"You're still here?"

He grumbled, tilting his head to peer up at the feline balancing so nonchalantly on his restraints; but it was then that he noticed it had a cloth-wrapped bundle in its jaws about the size of its head, previously hidden by the darkness of night.

Zoro's confusion only increased when the cat, staring at him the entire way, gracefully moved to a spot above his shoulder; where it delicately set the package despite the tense state of the man.

"W-what are you doing?"

He instantly chided himself inwardly for speaking to the cat, but by the deadpanned but very intentional look he got in return, he was somehow inclined to believe it understood him.

He watched with wide eyes as the cat nipped open the tie holding it together and almost instantly his mouth watered at the delicious scent wafting from the package.

Warily, with one last look at the cat perched on the horizontal pole next to his head, he eyed the unraveled package on his shoulder.

It was pork teishoku, albeit in small portions and without the miso, cooked and arranged with care that surprised the pirate hunter; the cat must have handled the bundle with great delicacy as well, as everything stayed separated and meticulously placed.

His belly growled insistently; he hadn't eaten in the three days he'd been tied there.

"Who would do this?"

Zoro growled, glancing sharply at the cat as though it had his answers.

"Why did you give it to me, flea-bag?"

His only reply was an intense amber stare and his stomach rumbling again.

The swordsman let out a breath of frustration, but he was far too hungry and tired to give it much thought.

He could only hope it wasn't poisoned.

To his pleasant surprise, despite the awkward angle he had to twist to eat it, the teishoku was spiced just right, everything was tender, and it disappeared far too quickly.

Hunger sated, he barely noticed when the cat collected the cloth and lazily jumped down, trotting to across the court yard.

"Oi,"

Zoro called on an impulse, something odd twisting in his chest as the cat paused to look back at him.

The swordsman scowled, but he couldn't quite scold his impulsive side no matter how ridiculous he suddenly felt.

His stomach no longer felt hollow because of the little devil-cat.

"… Thanks."

They stared evenly at each other for a long moment, and to his surprise, the intelligent creature dipped its head in a firm nod before leaping an impossible distance up the wall, leaving behind the suspicious, confused, and curious swordsman.

"Wait!"

He snapped, still trying to wrap his head around a housecat of all things understanding him, but the damn thing was already gone.

"Tch,"

The swordsman scoffed, letting the back of his head _thunk_ against the uncomfortable wood.

"I'm more of a dog person anyway."

* * *

 **Day 4**

"It's been fun, Roronoa! I'll be back again tomorrow to celebrate another day!"

The pirate hunter snarled silently, glaring after the marines that shut the doors behind the blond daddy's boy.

However- once he was again alone- the pirate hunter let out a quiet groan of pain, allowing the ropes to take the brunt of his weight.

The coppery flavor was making him feel sick and the green-haired man spit, grimacing at the bright red that now splattered the sand.

Judging by experience he had a bruised rib or two and his abdomen twinged sharply with the beginnings of a bruise, but despite his aches and irritation, he couldn't help but smirk.

The brat could barely hit him hard enough to cause much damage anyway.

He absently licked at a thin line of blood that dripped from a cut on his cheek just under his left eye, frowning at a quiet clattering just beyond the wall.

An irritated tic mark developed in his eyebrow when that damned cat scrambled its way to the top of the wall.

"It's the middle of the day, do you want to die?!"

Zoro snapped as the cat leisurely scaled the stone wall and trotted across the hot sand to the bound pirate hunter.

With no preamble, as though the thing was immune to the intense glower he gave it, the cat leapt on top of its perch with slightly less grace than the night before.

The man eyed the cloth bundle in its mouth before his gaze dipped lower.

Around the creature's furry neck was a thick cord, holding a black leather flask, which he realized after a long moment was what had caused the cat to stumble.

"I don't want your charity,"

Zoro said, yanking on the ropes out of irritation and ignoring the pain flaring across his battered torso and limbs.

"I've lasted four days already, I only need to make it to the end of the month. I don't want pity, flea-bag!"

He spat, bloody teeth bared at the cat… The cat that just remained staring at him in a complete deadpan.

He felt a sudden and intense urge to start tearing his hair out.

"Rrraagh! Now I'm talking to a freaking _cat_!"

He bellowed, glaring up at the sky as though it was insulting him.

He gritted his teeth, but didn't look as he felt a weight on his shoulder and breathed in the mouth-watering scent of fresh tempura.

His anger simmered deep in his chest, keeping himself still and silent, not allowing himself to eat what the creature had brought despite his hunger.

The sun moved and the only sound was his deep breathing and an occasional distant yell from a marine, but from the corner of his eye Zoro could surmise that the flea-bag remained still and silent through the hours that passed.

Slowly, the swordsman's irritation slipped away, replaced by exasperation that he was at a stalemate by the weird animal that decided for whatever reason to help him.

He heaved a deep sigh, giving the flea-bag his most intense frown.

"If I eat the damn food would you leave me the hell alone?"

The cat flicked its ear in reply, laying down with paws tucked comfortably beneath its chest.

Zoro begrudgingly admitted to himself that the tempura was also delicious, and he felt some of his energy come back while the demon cat picked up the cloth and pawed the flask off from around its neck.

He scowled as it was propped on his shoulder.

"You have to be kidding me."

He said, the tic in his brow returning.

The cat did not seem to be in the mood for humor either.

His parched throat was quenched and water washed away the taste of blood, leaving the man with some of his energy returned as his odd companion jumped away to climb back over the wall.

"You have no collar,"

Zoro began, waiting until the intense amber eyes met his own.

"What am I supposed to call you?"

He was left wondering if he had started to hallucinate from the sun, or if cats really could do such an accurate shrugging motion.


	2. The Voice

**Author's Note:**

The exciting part starts next chapter, when Luffy arrives on the 9th day of Zoro's imprisonment! I could always use some ideas if you guys are interested, too; cute moments you might want to see, devious actions by the (Thus far) mysterious OC, or anything really; I'll tie it into the One Piece plot the best I can, I promise.

I haven't decided either if I'm going to write any pairings, so be sure to give me input!

(Also, thank you to the Guest that wrote the review! I'm working on developing the character more, but I'm going about it slowly and I'm going to be introducing Quinn's point of view more in the next chapter hopefully.)

EDIT: Oops... I'm sorry everyone! I updated the chapter wrong for a minute. The correct one's up now!

 **Disclaimer:**

I do not own One Piece or any of its related content, I own only my Original Character and a few funky plot twists.

* * *

 **Day 5**

Zoro blinked his eyes open, blearily taking in the giant smudge of black and white on his left shoulder, feeling soft fur brushing his neck.

"You're… Back,"

He managed between panting.

The sun was merciless today, and although the cat had been giving him food and water, it hadn't been enough to sustain him… Much less when Helmeppo visited again.

This time the bastard had brass knuckles, and the swordsman had multiple cuts and dark bruises along his arms and chest where the brat actually threw a decent punch.

He blinked, his vision coming into focus when his response from the usually carefree feline was an enraged growl, which sounded rather intimidating to come from such a small thing.

The green-haired man got a glimpse at the cat's raised hackles before he felt something rasp along one of his injuries, and his entire form tensed in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

He said, hissing in discomfort when the action was repeated.

The damn demon-cat was carefully licking Zoro's injuries clean, giving no further acknowledgement while the man- though still rigid- allowed it do what it wanted, not that he'd have much other choice.

When the cat gave him a concerned look and went to his other shoulder, the man blinked in surprise as he realized that the injuries stopped bleeding, and sweat and sand no longer stung.

"You're really damn weird sometimes, but you do know what you're doing,"

He muttered when the cat turned to face him, and he didn't protest when he was offered the flask of water.

Ignoring what dripped onto his shirt at the awkward angle, he blinked when the creature turned and brought him a package of sushi that it had abandoned temporarily at the other end of the post in its concern.

Immediately, he noticed that there was a small note on top, with a short but elegant scrawl and nothing else.

Zoro's brow furrowed under the suddenly very interested gaze of the cat.

"Quinn?"

He read, glancing up at the feline in annoyance.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He grumbled, but the kitty sitting in front of him only stuck out its tongue; Zoro got the distinct feeling that it was amused.

Once again, the sushi disappeared far too fast for his liking, but after the cat collected the cloth square and flask, instead of leaving immediately, it sat down at its customary spot above his left shoulder.

The swordsman scowled at the cat, grateful to at least not be suffering in the heat of the sun alone; not that he'd admit it aloud.

"Quinn… That's your name, isn't it? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

Zoro frowned in a very sudden feeling of anticipation when the cat _smirked_.

"Indeed."

The cat responded, his decidedly young and _male_ voice smooth and baritone.

The man's jaw dropped, eyes blown wide as he stared at the creature sitting beside him, face again in a deadpan as though it never spoke in the first place.

"Y-YOU SPOKE!"

Zoro yelled in shock.

The cat smirked, a delighted glint in its vivid eyes.

"I certainly didn't bark,"

The dubbed 'Quinn' replied in quiet amusement, standing up and stretching, the cat jumped down from its perch and made his way back to the wall.

"Why didn't you say something before?!"  
Zoro shouted after him, and the cat paused at the top of the wall.

"Would you have believed me?"

In the following silence, the cat departed.

"WAIT! GET BACK HERE AND EXPLAIN!"

* * *

 **Day 6 - Night**

Zoro stared at the wall, ignoring the burn of his tired eyes.

He hadn't truly slept since the talking demon-cat's last visit, and he ignored the flare of concern bubbling in his chest when the moon started to dip in the sky, bowing before the approaching dawn.

It would be stupid if someone worried they'd scared someone off.

For someone weaker, indeed.

Persistently, he forced himself to stay awake; he wanted to be alert when the stupid cat showed up.

Naturally he channeled his irritation, grumbling lowly under his breath.

For a good hour he growled at the ropes, the early hour of the morning, the hellcat, the dumb-ass concern that made him restless, the unnatural silence, and for a while he even cursed at a blood stain in the sand, for the _sheer audacity_ of being shed by the marine brat.

His silent ranting was cut short, however, when a group of marines pushed their way into the fortress.

"… wants that cursed thing anyway, he would be better off shooting it."

"Yeah, it did get Helmeppo pretty good back there. If he wasn't so humiliated being torn up we would have been ordered to comb the streets for that hellspawn, be glad we didn't have to."

"Hmph, the blasted cat just about clawed my eye out. The doc said it's going to be leaving a scar. It's just bad luck that we were with Helmeppo when he saw it walking away."

"Consider ourselves lucky it didn't hurt us too badly; or even better, be happy that the poor thing got away. I'm sure Morgan will be hearing about this…"

Zoro paused, pretending to sleep while that passed him; though, when he did glimpse the man with the bandage eyepatch, a vicious smirk curled his lip.

Even if he didn't see Quinn that day, at least the little bastard still managed to keep things… Interesting.

He fell asleep just before the sun began to rise, and he would later never admit to having somewhat of a nightmare about Helmeppo shooting his strange and impromptu ally.

* * *

 **Day 7 - Night**

Zoro frowned faintly, stirring from his sleep.

His hands and feet were cold, but his neck and chest- though feeling cramped- was warm.

The swordsman stirred a little more, cracking an eye open, he grimaced as he saw his breath mist a little in the night air that smelled like rain.

"Good evening."

Despite the bone-deep exhaustion he instantly jerked as upright as he could get at the unexpected voice, whipping his head to the left to glare, but the cat's head was too close to his chin for him to see properly.

In fact, the cat- huge for its species- was draped around his neck and shoulders too, soft fur pressed against his skin.

"You!"

Zoro hissed, scowling harshly as he tried to get a look at the creature that remained relaxed on his shoulders.

"Explain yourself! You're a Devil fruit user, aren't you?"

The cat stretched leisurely in place to further agitate the man.

"Perhaps,"

The man growled in annoyance, but he didn't quite complain about the close contact.

"What the hell kind of fruit did you eat? Being a cat seems pretty weak to me."

He grumbled, scowling harshly at the amused rumble he felt resonating from the cat.

"A stealth-orientated one,"

He gave a long, put-upon sigh at the short answers, which turned into a half-smirk at the end.

"That bastard didn't stop by today. What did you do to him?"

The cat gave a very human chuckle, and Zoro raised an eyebrow at the devious edge to it.

"A reminder not to touch others if he wants to keep his hands, and a haircut… And maybe a wardrobe change."

The man let out a bark of laughter, broken off with a yawn; he still wasn't rested after having been awake all night the day before.

"Hmph. You're not so bad, Quill."

The swordsman muttered, beginning to nod off again.

"That's Quinn to you, swordsman…"

* * *

 **Day 8**

When Zoro woke up again, it was at a decent hour in the morning.

The hellcat was gone, but his neck and shoulders- although a bit stiff- were still warm and dry, though some of the marines on night watch definitely looked a little damp and miserable.

His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he had missed eating the past two days.

He almost felt kind of guilty for falling asleep on the cat; he definitely missed out on the cooking.

The doors of the fortress banged open, and a few terrified marines scrambled outside.

Watching on in interest, Zoro paused when a new bald figure followed them out, screaming all the while about his father punishing anyone… Who… Laughed…

The swordsman dissolved into a fit of roaring laughter as the now-bald Helmeppo, complete with patches of claw marks and bandage-swathed hands, continued to rage.


End file.
